Trumpeter, Urban Farmer & Art Enthusiast. Brendan plays exclusively on trumpet mouthpieces custom made for him by Toshiaki Kameyama! All images on the site are copyright to Brendan. Please credit any useage, or ask.

The Trumpet o-iii<O

A little guy on a wall in Prague’s magnificent castle

This section, and the connected links are dedicated to all aspects of our art. I have also included many legendary quotes & stories, that I have heard oft repeated. Most are true, one or two are perhaps apocryphal, who knows…

“The trumpet is an inanimate object. It will only make a sound if you drop it.” John Wilbraham

“Always remember, the trombone is your natural enemy.” Michael Laird (Michael said this to me at the end of my last lesson but the quote has been correctly attributed to David Mason)

“Philip Jones always told me I played too loudly on a small tube. Still; better than underblowing.” John Wilbraham

“…There is nothing wrong with your embouchure. It is merely reacting to a bad set of circumstances!” Kristian Steenstrup

RLPO Mahler 8 Trumpet Section

On hearing a bass player complaining loudly about not being able to see David Willcocks conducting, John Wilbraham shouted, “…Don’t say that. Everyone will want to sit there!”

From Crispian Steele-Perkins, “… In 1956 the great British ‘Big Band’ conducted by Ted Heath toured the USA. One of the features of their concerts was the duetting of trumpeters Bobby Pratt and Bert Ezzard, of both of whom I was a huge fan. It was after their performance in Pasadena near Los Angeles that Bobby Pratt was making his way out of the stage door of the theatre (he was a well built, but rather shy man) when he was accosted by a diminutive figure, who grasped his hand energetically and effused: ‘Mr Pratt, that was just marvellous playing: I truly believe that you must be the greatest trumpet player in the world’. Somewhat overwhelmed, Pratt replied with customary modesty: ‘Oh no, you’re very kind, but the greatest player, I believe, is a man called Conrad Gozzo.’ The other, in his turn, was overcome with confusion. ‘Why, thank you’ said he, ‘I am Conrad Gozzo’.”

Legendary conversation between the BBC Northern Orchestra and The London Symphony 1977: The legendary John Gracie said to the legendary Maurice Murphy, “… How are you getting on with the LSO, Maurice?” “Oh, alright John… some film with a big bear in it.” (Star Wars!)

"F**king flutes! Always complaining about the trumpets. Stick 'em out of the bedroom window: first breeze that comes along, play 'emselves." John Wilbraham

Brendan holding the world’s most expensive trumpet

“The one thing we do know about Bach, for certain, is that he didn’t want it to sound f**king awful!” John Wilbraham to John Eliot Gardiner

Brendan has gone on a diet. Fabulous comment from my mate Bryn Gerard, well known Liverpool Artist, “…I think your upper body is just over developed from all the trumpet playing.” Nice one Bryn.

Gottfried Reiche: J.S. Bach’s famous trumpeter; rputed to have died of ‘exertion’ after playing one of Bach’s pieces!

‘A gold cup and cigar if you can play this correctly first time… Oh dear, better luck next time.” David Mason

“If I’d wanted to play in front of a clown, I’d have joined the f**king circus.” John Wilbraham to Gennadi Rozhdestvensky. Bizarrely, this conductor’s hairstyle always reminds me of Crusty the Clown from the Simpsons.

“I remember being at the bar, while studying at the RAM, and the light suddenly going out behind me. Stood there were John Wilbraham, James Watson & Bill Houghton all together [just about the tallest 3 trumpeters in the business]. “That’s right Paul, you get the beers in,” said James Watson.” Paul Marsden 2nd tpt RLPO [not one of the tallest trumpeters in the business]

John Wilbraham said he would form an organisation called Alcoholics Unanimous, for people who were thinking of giving up drinking. They could ‘phone AU and they’d talk you out of it!

David Mason demonstrating his famous solo on Penny Lane

“The most practice I have ever done was two hours in a day-two stints of anything from 40 minutes to an hour is sufficient. Too much practice sounds as bad as too little. Even graft my boy, even graft.” David Mason

“Well Jonathan, you’ll be able to tell all your friends in the CBSO that you have now played with the Philharmonia” – David Mason to Jon Holland [Principal Trumpet CBSO]

“It doesn’t matter how you do it, it’s the end result that matters.” David Mason

“I don’t care how you do it, or what you play it on, so long as it’s right.” Gerrard Schwarz

“I play what feels good to me! My Musicians dig it & so does our audience.” Maynard Ferguson

“Anyone can blow. It takes brains to play!” Harry Bentham

The Legendary Maurice Andre giving a lift to the Legendary John ‘Jumbo’ Wilbraham

Wynton Marsalis’ Monette ‘Prahna’ trumpet, on which he has performed his most famous work to date. Wynton presented this as a gift to Liverpool Trumpeter Al Gustavson

John Wilbraham to older lady viola player who turned round to complain about the volume of the trumpets, “… listen love, practice a bit harder and they’ll let you go and sit up at the front.”

Two Youtube videos of David Mason Playing and talking about his work with The Beatles on ‘Penny Lane’…

Brendan Ball is sponsored by Liverpool Organic Brewery. The company is the first corporate sponsor of an individual player in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra one hundred and seventy year history. Brendan is officially ‘The Liverpool Organic Brewery Principal Trumpet’. Visit Liverpool Organic’s Website to see where you can buy this marvellous beer.

During that embarrassing long pause at the end of a premiere of a new piece of contemporary music before the audience realised it had finished; Bill Houghton, Principal Trumpet of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, was heard to shout at the composer, “… You and I are now sworn enemies!”

A Keyed Bugle – Anton Weidinger would have premired the concerti by Haydn and Hummel on something similar to this.

I was a witness to that comment about Maurice Murphy to Maxime Schostakovich, very funny!hahahahahahhahah. It was during the LSO recording of Schostakovich 7th back in 1990 at Watford town hall. Long live Maurice and hope he has a long and enjoyable retirement.

I love the stories here particular about John Wilbraham. The first time I met him was at the Royal Academy of Music where I’d managed to get a lesson with the great man. I’d been told to wait in the reception by the over officious security and was nervously awaiting the legendary player, me a young jazz player with an admittedly dodgy embouchure. Eventually John came down but was accosted by some artistic professor before he could meet me and was talked at for several minutes. Finally he got away and greeted me warmly. Then in the lift, he put me completely at ease saying, “the trouble with this place is that it’s full of c****!”. We got on very well from then on!

Thoroughly enjoying your site. Met Julie this morning with the Rehearsal Orchestra doing Lutoslowski Concerto for Orchestra. She was telling me all about you. Brilliant to be reminded of JW – I had the huge privilege of taking some lessons with him.

Thanks Ruari. You must be talking about Julie Ryan. She and I were both Foundation Scholars at the Royal College of Music. Same year too. She’s a great player.. Did you you take lessons from John Wilbraham at Knellar Hall?He was teaching there when I had lessons with him.

i’m stunned, that bobby pratt story moved me to tears, my dad was a massive ted heath fan and raised me on the same. i found your site looking for a way to contact paul mann, we were at bede school in sunderland before he went to chets, he accompanied me while i bluffed my way through a bunch of trumpet or cornet solos. i’ll be adding you to my list of favourites and pop in from time to time to see what real trumpet players are doing.